The Great Mountain Heist: USPHL Sues Defecting Franchises Over Secret NAHL Jump Betrayal, broken contracts, and a hijacked junior hockey footprint

The business of developmental sports is rarely without its boardroom brawls. A lawsuit filed on June 22, 2026, in the Delaware Court of Chancery threatens to fundamentally alter the Tier II landscape. The United States Premier Hockey League is officially seeking injunctive relief and severe financial damages against four of its former National Collegiate Development Conference organizations.

The core of the allegation is a staggering breach of trust, confidentiality, and legally binding non-competition agreements. Four franchises are accused of secretly orchestrating a mass exodus to the North American Hockey League.

In an industry where a character first philosophy should be the bedrock of player development, the details of this 56 page complaint reveal a behind the scenes reality driven by broken promises and a total lack of accountability. Advocating for transparency in junior hockey is vital when dealing with actions that directly impact young athletes.

The lawsuit names a specific roster of organizations and their leadership, holding them directly responsible for a synchronized departure. The defendants include Billings Hockey LLC and majority owner Kevin Greene, East Idaho Hockey Inc., President Kevin Greene, and former General Manager Erik Hudson, SKC-Hockey LLC and sole owner Sean Wilmert, and Two Rivers Hockey LLC and owner David Repsher.

These franchises never formally withdrew from the league. Instead, throughout the first half of 2026, the owners allegedly engaged in clandestine discussions with the rival league. League officials only learned of the betrayal on June 9, 2026, through JuniorHockey.io's article. This was confirmed three days later by a press release.

The grievance is not merely about teams leaving. It is about the manner in which they left and the contractual obligations they shattered to do so. In joining the NCDC, these owners signed comprehensive governing documents, which included strict Non-Competition and Mutual Assistance provisions. These agreements explicitly prohibited members from operating competing teams, expressly forbidding involvement with their direct Tier II rival.

Perhaps the most glaring ethical breach detailed in the lawsuit involves Erik Hudson of the Idaho Falls Spud Kings.

The league granted Hudson a unique privilege. He was the only non-member invited to attend highly confidential Executive Committee meetings. In these weekly and bi-monthly sessions, the inner circle discussed their most sensitive operations, including financial matters, strategic expansion, and competitive positioning.

The lawsuit alleges that Hudson sat in these meetings, absorbing confidential blueprints, all while simultaneously conspiring to move his team to a direct competitor. It is a stark reminder of the ethical voids that frequently plague team management, where loyalty is discarded the moment a seemingly better offer materializes.

Building a successful conference in the western United States requires massive financial risk. Unlike the East Coast, the West demands significant logistical planning and gate driven revenue models. The league asserts they took enormous risks to pioneer this westward expansion, identifying suitable markets and cultivating them from scratch.

To ensure the NCDC Mountain Conference survived, officials waived a standard $250,000 franchise fee for the Billings organization just to remove financial barriers to entry. They asked only that the team remain under its current ownership for five seasons. When the Billings market was at risk of failing before it even launched, the Director of Hockey Operations flew to Montana in March 2025 to personally save the market and secure an arena lease.

The league heavily subsidized travel for teams to attend the Dineen Cup national championship, and eventually brought the entire championship tournament to Idaho Falls to build the brand. They even introduced a Name, Image, and Likeness performance payout specifically designed to support the Mountain Conference.

The result was that the Mountain Conference became a powerhouse. It was one of only two conferences comprised entirely of tuition-free, full-scholarship programs, attracting elite talent. Idaho Falls became the biggest draw in North American Tier II hockey, packing 4,000 fans into their arena nightly.

Then the rival league swooped in.

In its June press release, the competition announced its expansion into the West, touting the incredible facilities and fanbases they had acquired. The ultimate insult was branding this new group of defectors the Mountain Division. They completely co-opted the exact name, geographic footprint, rinks, and communities built over years. The lawsuit bluntly refers to this as having pirated their hard won success.

While owners maneuver in backrooms, the true collateral damage of these business decisions always falls on the players and the families.

The lawsuit highlights the devastating impact this sudden defection has on the remaining teams, specifically pointing to the Rock Springs Miners. Previously, the Miners enjoyed a manageable schedule with at least seven teams located within a twelve-hour drive. Because of the mass exodus, only three teams remain within that radius.

Now the remaining organizations are forced to schedule exhausting travel to places like Chicago, Minneapolis, and the East Coast just to cobble together a season. The financial strain on these remaining teams is immense, but the physical and emotional toll on athletes who committed to a regional footprint is unforgivable.

The immediate financial fallout is already visible. Because of the uncertainty caused by the defections, the Rock Springs Miners saw their annual player development camp decimated. A camp that usually draws between 72 and 93 participants and generates upwards of $35,000 in revenue saw only five players sign up this year. This resulted in approximately $5,000 in unrecoverable sunk costs.

Furthermore, this fracture drastically damages broadcasting visibility. The Mountain Conference was the largest contributor to streaming viewership. Fewer viewers mean fewer scouts watching the remaining players, actively harming the college advancement opportunities for the athletes left behind.

The league is not letting these franchises walk away without a fight. The lawsuit seeks heavy financial and operational penalties, proving that contracts cannot simply be ignored.

First, they are demanding injunctive relief. They are asking the court to stop the defecting teams from playing for the competition entirely. They seek a permanent injunction to prevent the owners from directly or indirectly operating a rival team, and from using their current Home Arenas for the benefit of a rival.

Second, to ensure operational stability, Kevin Greene and Erik Hudson had previously signed personal promissory notes guaranteeing their teams' participation in the 2026-2027 season. Because they broke this guarantee, the lawsuit demands immediate payment of $75,000 each from both Greene and Hudson, totaling $150,000.

Third, they are seeking comprehensive damages for the catastrophic breach of contract. Factoring in unpaid dues, stolen proprietary data, reputational damage, and the massive increase in administrative and travel costs, they estimate their damages to be no less than $1 million.

The complaint also notes a looming storm for the competing league itself, explicitly stating that as facts develop, a lawsuit for tortious interference with contract and other potential claims may be brought against them.

This lawsuit pulls back the curtain on the cutthroat reality of hockey operations. When organizations preach a supportive environment to young athletes and their families, but simultaneously execute covert boardroom betrayals to break binding contracts, it exposes a deep hypocrisy in the system. The Delaware Court of Chancery will now decide the fate of these four franchises, but the damage to the players and the integrity of the western footprint has already been done.